After ordering a "Cassoulet Stew" and a "Duck Breast with Orange Sauce," Mr. Yuto's gaze settled on Clorinde.
"Mademoiselle Clorinde, does Furina need me to go back?" Mr. Yuto asked softly.
Clorinde, who was drinking juice, blinked slightly when she heard this, and after a moment of thought, she finally chose to be frank.
She was not good at lying, especially when facing the person who understood human hearts best in all of Fontaine, without exception.
Clorinde put down her glass and said softly, "This morning, I heard you were taking leave. I thought something had happened in Fontaine that required your attention, so I followed you out."
"Although I'm not good at social interactions, as a Duel Proxy, if it involves slaying monsters, I excel at that."
Hearing this, Mr. Yuto's mouth twitched slightly.
Although he didn't know why Clorinde would think that, the reason sounded plausible.
After all, in most people's eyes, Mr. Yuto was an perpetual motion machine who never needed rest, and this impression had lasted for nearly five hundred years.
His days off were always public holidays; he had never taken personal leave.
If the members of the Shadowy Court or Law Enforcement Office, who frequently dealt with him, found out about this, they might genuinely believe some natural disaster was about to occur.
Thinking of this, Mr. Yuto sighed slightly, then nodded, indicating he understood, and then asked, "Do you still remember Azar? The Grand Sage of the Sumeru Akademiya."
"Of course, I remember. His attitude towards you, Furina, and Fontaine was very poor, but I always believed you did nothing wrong."
Clorinde shook her head gently, took a sip of juice, and continued, "To try and exchange a pile of cheap seasonings and unwanted Fontaine items for Fontaine's steam machinery and parts... that's a pipe dream."
Hearing this, Mr. Yuto nodded noncommittally, then steered the conversation away from that somewhat unpleasant topic: "Speaking of which, Clorinde, are you really not going to pass on the techniques of the Shadow Hunter anymore?"
"It's quite ironic, isn't it? The Shadowy Court, which was specifically established because Shadow Hunters joined Fontaine, doesn't even have a single Shadow Hunter within it."
Hearing this, Clorinde paused slightly, then sighed, saying wistfully, "For most people, the inheritance and training methods of the Shadow Hunter are... too cruel."
"Shadow Hunters... these people once had only one purpose for Fontaine: to lurk in the darkness and clear out monsters for the developing Fontaine."
"Most Shadow Hunters believed this, including my master."
"So our methods of inheritance are primarily focused on 'surviving in various environments.'"
At this point, Clorinde took a deep breath, seemingly lost in thought.
"In my memory, the only Shadow Hunter I ever encountered was my master."
"She was interesting, but not very good at looking after children, or rather, most Shadow Hunters were accustomed to a life of daily monster hunting and weren't very good at looking after children."
"I remember when I was three, my master found me noisy and gave me a short sword as a toy, and the result... goes without saying."
"My palm was cut open, but my master wasn't worried; instead, she slowly began to scold me."
"She scolded me while bandaging my wound, and after it was done, she began to teach me how to use a knife."
"This is the creed of the Shadow Hunter: everything... with survival as the primary goal."
Perhaps because the final point of that last sentence was somewhat heavy, the atmosphere between the two immediately fell silent.
After a brief silence, Mr. Yuto let out a slight breath, then smiled at Clorinde and said, "But this is good too, after all, the Shadow Hunters chose to go into seclusion voluntarily, and this training method cannot be widely popularized..."
"Let them quietly remain in history, becoming heroes dwelling in the dark."
Hearing this, Clorinde nodded slightly, agreeing with him.
At that moment, their meals were brought to them by the waiter, and they tacitly began to enjoy their food.
As they were dining, Charlotte cautiously entered Hotel Debord, tilting her head slightly as she watched the two calmly eating.
"Hmm... Mademoiselle Clorinde is one of the key figures in the overturning of 'Unjust Cares.' Perhaps I should do an exclusive interview with her..."
"And Mr. Yuto... well, he definitely deserves an exclusive interview."
Charlotte nodded emphatically, as opportunities to interview the Fontaine Vice-Minister were rare, let alone encountering Mr. Yuto on the street, which was even rarer.
Thinking of this, Charlotte briefly gave herself a pep talk, then walked over to the service desk, paid for Mr. Yuto and Clorinde's meal, and then quietly sat aside, waiting for an opportunity.
As an excellent and ethical reporter, Charlotte would never directly sit next to them at this moment and say strange things.
Instead, it was better to pay for their meal first and then subtly present her request.
After all, neither of them seemed particularly busy at the moment, and both were quite approachable, so the chances of being rejected were not high.
...
After Charlotte patiently waited for a while, Mr. Yuto and Clorinde finished their lunch and then stood up together, ready to pay the bill.
However, when they discovered their bill had already been settled, Mr. Yuto was momentarily puzzled, while Clorinde became wary.
"Who paid the bill just now? What did they look like? How tall?" Mr. Yuto asked the waiter.
The waiter pondered for a moment, then softly said, "It was a young girl with pink hair, carrying a Kamera, and wearing a small red hat on her head. She seemed quite energetic."
Hearing this, Mr. Yuto immediately knew who it was.
He nodded slightly, then turned to Clorinde beside him and said, "Don't worry, it's Charlotte. She probably saw us on the street outside, so she plans to seize this opportunity to do an exclusive..."
Before Mr. Yuto could finish his sentence, Charlotte, who was nearby, slowly stood up, looking at him with a professionally standardized smile and asked, "Um... Mr. Yuto, I paid your bill. I would like to do an exclusive interview with both you and Mademoiselle Clorinde, if that's alright...?"
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